:-\ I posted at least 25 questions..none were answered.. Why do I always like them more once they are voted off?? Lex is funny..

I took some notes ..but Fever did the work for me ~

Lex van den Berghe's Survivor: All-Stars Web Chat Transcript4.9.04

Host: Thanks for being here today Lex, are you ready to take some questions?Lex: Ready to rock!Question: Ok, Lex it has to be asked...Why in the world did you believe anything Rob said?Lex: I initially had a reason to believe anything Rob said to me. He and I had a good and close friendship before the game of Survivor All-Stars. When a close friend comes to you for help, what is it you do, you help out a friend, and when Rob came to me with tears in his eyes and wanted to know if I could help him all I could do was be a loyal friend and answer that call. You also have to understand that those of us playing the game don't have the benefit of seeing what everyone's saying and doing, not like everyone out there watching in your living rooms. It may be crystal clear to you that Rob was a despicable scoundrel, but I just knew him as my good friend Boston Rob.

Question: I listened to your little speech to Rob about how he should keep you in the game because you two were friends. What I wanted to know is how you could say that after doing the exact same thing to your friend Ethan! Rob told you that he was going to vote for you. What else should he have done?Lex: He did not do the exact same thing to me that I did to my pal Ethan. Ethan and I are friends outside the game, but in Survivor: All Stars, Ethan and I never made any deal or agreement -- of any kind. The only deal we made is he asked me to tell him if he was going to be voted off. He didn't want to be blindsided. I promised him I would tell him, and I knew that telling Ethan would hurt my game... What Rob did was come to me, ask me for help, offer me a deal, and then when it came time for him to deliver on his promise he chose to exploit our friendship and pull out on the deal he made with me.

Question: The look on your face when Kathy kept the necklace was priceless, though on the Early Show you said that it was an edit. What then made you have such a surprised look on your face.Lex: As I recall, that reaction was a reaction to Rob talking to me about wanting to stay friends after the game was over. That expression was my reaction to Rob telling me he wanted to be friends. Truth be known, I never wanted to stay in the game if it meant it would come at the expense of Kathy giving up her immunity and possibly being voted out.

Question: Lex, liked you first time around and even more this time. Too bad about you getting voted off. Did you really think Kathy was going to give you her immunity?Lex: From the time that Kathy won immunity she had told me that she had every intention of giving it to me at Tribal Council, and I know she would have delivered on that promise. I spent the better part of the day trying to talk her out of it because it wasn't the way I wanted to stay in the game. Kathy won immunity fair and square on her own steam. If staying in the game meant taking her immunity necklace and Kathy getting voted out, I wanted no part of it. The fact is if Kathy offered me immunity at TC I would have turned it down.

Question: You seemed to know you were being targeted even before Rob came to you, what made you feel so insecure at that point?Lex: It was a couple of things. One, as soon as we merged, Big Tom came to me and said virtually everyone on Chapera had been talking about getting rid of me since day one of the game. He also mentioned that everyone voiced concern that I was one of the biggest threats in the game, partially because of my history of winning challenges in Africa, and partially because I get along so well and have relationships with so many Survivors. It was no mystery to me that as soon as we started All Stars that I had a target on my back as big as perhaps the winners themselves. Getting through this game was going to be much tougher the second time around.

Question: Would you have been more devastated had Boston Rob never told you about the vote and blindsided you at Tribal Council?Lex: There's no possible way I could have been blindsided at this Tribal Council because everyone made it clear that I was on the chopping block. Those who didn't voice it didn't have to because it was obvious. And to set the record straight, Rob never came to tell me I was going, he simply told me that there was nothing he could do to save me and made excuses as to why he couldn't honor the promise he made.

Question: Lex, justice wasn't so sweet in this case, I'd rather have seen Rob go, or at least have the smirk wiped off his face. Why, oh why are they all letting him run things?Lex: That's a great question, and I wish I could answer it. But I'm just as stumped as you are. For some reason, pretty much since the beginning of the game, Chapera has been made up of people who chose to play the game like sheep. Everyone seems perfectly happy with Rob in the driver's seat, and all of them seem to be under his spell. If someone doesn't take the driver's wheel soon they'll all be like lambs to the slaughter. Frankly, another thing that surprises me about this All Stars edition is how many players are happy just playing an under the radar strategy. So many folks this time around seem to feel that hiding and being as quiet as possible is a good way to go far in the game. But I don't have any respect for that kind of strategy. It certainly has worked well to Boston Rob's advantage though.

Question: How do you feel about Shii Ann voting for you last night?Lex: A bit disappointed for sure, but not at all surprised. When it came to Shii Ann, Colby's earlier accusations of playing the safe, riding coattails strategy was right dead on. And in my personal opinion, the fact that Shii Ann is still in the game is an unfortunate proof of how the under the radar strategy can work so well for some. She's lucky. I'd have to compare her involvement in this game and on my tribe with that of a flea riding piggyback on a dog.Question: Jerri was definitely your ally - if you chose not to boot Amber why didn't you try to oust Shii Ann instead of Jerri?Lex: Unfortunately I didn't have the luxury of being able to vote Shii Ann out at that point of the game. My hands were tied because Kathy and I had a tight alliance, and Kathy didn't feel particularly close and didn't have the relationship I had with Jerri. Kathy made it clear that she wasn't going to back any plan that involved getting rid of Shii Ann and keeping Jerri. Given my druthers, Shii Ann would have been a good choice at that point of the game.

Question: You said after tribal council that you would be pulling for Big Tom to go all the way, why not Kathy, did her decision to keep immunity affect that?Lex: Absolutely not. Like I said, I didn't want immunity from Kathy, and understand, Kathy right up to Tribal Council still wanted to give me immunity. I adore Kathy, we had a good alliance in the game and she stayed true to it. I wished Tom good luck in my final words because he's one of my closest friends and like a brother to me.

Question: Who were you surprised to see on Survivor All Stars and whose absence were you most surprised by?Lex: I was surprised to see Amber and Shii Ann. I was definitely surprised that Mike Skupin, Helen, Hunter and Kelly Goldsmith were not selected. And as far as who I wished was out there, I would have loved to have seen my fire-brother Frank Garrison in the game.

Question: Do you agree it was a poor strategic move on Rupert's part in choosing Amber to go on the reward with him?Lex: All of us were left scratching our heads on that one. It seemed almost as brilliant as digging a hole in your shelter on the beach. Everyone left behind unanimously agreed that the most strategic choice would have been to chose the two other people who went farthest in the challenge, Rob and myself. I honestly don't know what Rupert was thinking. Maybe it was "little" Rupert thinking.Question: That underwater challenge looked extremely hard and geared toward the men. If there was a woman in the Final 3 - do you think she could have lifted the box?Lex: Funny you should mention that. Rupert, Rob and I all discussed the fact that if a woman had made it to that point of the reward challenge it would have been extremely difficult for her to do. The chest we had to carry was unbelievably heavy. Alicia was the only one in my mind that could have delivered on that part of the challenge

Question: Was it a relief to have dung-free water this time around?Lex: You have NO idea. The conditions in general this second time around were significantly better. We had water to swim in and cool off in and clean ourselves in. We had plenty of food on land in the water to forage. And the drinking water definitely didn't taste like it was tapped directly from a monkey's butt.

Question: You looked like you had the last immunity challenge won... what happened?Lex: That was a tough one. It was truly a photo finish. I lost that challenge by a breath of air and a single loop in a knot. At the time I knew I had a lead on Rob and I was short on air and thought I had time to grab one quick mouthful of air. As it turned out, unfortunately, I should have stayed down the extra three seconds and untied the second loop in that knot. Things would have been much different now. All of this serves to prove to me that things were meant to turn out this way. Winning a million dollars this time around just wasn't in the cards for me.

Question: The viewers are going to miss you! Have you added any new tattoos as a result of Survivor All Stars?Lex: I did get a couple of tattoos right before All Stars, including a can of Whoop-Ass on my leg and my wife and I each got the words Luck and Love tattooed on the bottom of our wrists. My wife wanted me to take a little bit of love and a little bit of luck into the game with me. I did just get a new tattoo last week, but not a Survivor tattoo. I got a tattoo in memory of my kitty Lucy who died last month.

Question: Will you hug Boston Rob if he wins Survivor?Lex: Sure, I'll give him a hug and congratulations on a game well played and a job well done.

Question: Lex, you are a reality TV star, but do you have any favorite reality TV shows that you just can't miss?Lex: In all honesty, Survivor is the only one I watch religiously, but I do occasionally enjoy Amazing Race, The Apprentice, Big Brother and House of Dreams. And I have to admit an occasionally guilty pleasure of mine is Mad, Mad House. That said, my wife is a HUGE reality TV junkie, and watches everything from The Littlest Groom to My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance -- And everything in between. She eats that stuff up with a spoon.

Question: It won't be the same watching the show now with you out of the game, my question is: what's in store for you now, is your band still together, will be seeing more of you Lex: First off, thanks a bunch. My band Lucky Dog is still together, although the band for me is a hobby. We're five old friends who love to play music together and probably will for the rest of our days. As far as what's down the road, hopefully you'll still get to see me out there. I'm still doing quite a bit of writing for some newspapers and magazines and hope to expand on that. My wife and I have been working on some children's books and we're looking for publishers. And who knows where else I may pop up. I'm always up for a new adventure.

Question: Time is up, any final comments for the Survivor fans?Lex: Thanks a bunch everyone. I really appreciate the support. I had a great time playing the game of Survivor All Stars my way, and I'll leave you with this: Be true to yourself and be good to your friends.